The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, will pay a state visit to South Africa on December 6, as part of an increasingly broad international agenda, following a brief meeting with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, on the sidelines of the United Nations climate summit held in Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt).
The South African Presidency has confirmed this visit, which it hopes will serve to «solidify the strong relations» between the two countries. «It will consolidate concrete actions for the mutual benefit of the South African and Venezuelan populations,» reads the terse communiqué.
The South African government has always maintained good relations with Maduro, whom it endorsed as president in recent years, during which other countries of the international community chose to recognize the opposition Juan Guaidó as the legitimate president of Venezuela.
In fact, South Africa’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Alvin Botes, made a visit to Caracas in September to prepare for Maduro’s subsequent trip to Pretoria, as was finally confirmed on Monday.
